This invention relates generally to techniques for generating electromagnetic (photon) radiation modulated in energy relative to wave intensity and for demodulating that radiation. In particular, the invention relates to applications of such modulated electromagnetic radiation in which it would be highly desirable to modulate the radiation with information, where that radiation simultaneously is highly depleted in its relative proportion of energy. For example, it is well known in the art that photon beams may be used to scan and characterize a target object that is potentially damaged by excessive absorption of energy. Alternatively, in other particular applications it may be desirable to minimize the target object's capability to conventionally detect an interrogating scan beam. In various communications applications, the objective may be to securely transmit a signal beam without incurring interception and detection by conventional receivers. All of these applications would benefit from the use of beams highly depleted in energy relative to wave intensity.
The theoretical principles predicting the existence of energy depletion have been reported earlier by the inventors and others. Some of the basic concepts for producing energy depletion have been previously described by the inventors. See, for example:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,028,686, Feb. 22, 2000, by Stuart G. Mirell and Daniel J. Mirell, “Energy-Depleted Radiation Apparatus and Method,” and references cited therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,804,470, Oct. 12, 2004, by Stuart G. Mirell and Daniel J. Mirell, “Energy-Depleted Radiation Apparatus and Method,” and references cited therein.
De Broglie in 1927 reported in Rapport au V'ieme Congres de Physique Solvay, Gauthier-Villars, Paris 1930 and The Current Interpretation of Wave Mechanics: A Critical Study, Elsevier, Amsterdam (1969).
Stuart Mirell, “Correlated photon asymmetry in local realism,” Physical Review A, Volume 50, No. 1, pp. 839-842 (1994).
Stuart Mirell and Daniel Mirell, “High Efficiency Interaction-free Measurement from Continuous Wave Multi-beam Interference,” Quantum Physics abstract, on-line publication, http://www.arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9911076 (1999).
Stuart Mirell, “Locally real states of photons and particles,” Physical Review A, Volume 65 p. 032102/1-22 March (2002).
Although these prior patents and publications explain the fundamental theory and early experimental verification of the principles of energy-depleted radiation, they fall short of teaching practical applications of these principles. The present invention is directed to a number of significant improvements for generating electromagnetic (photon) radiation modulated in energy relative to wave intensity and for demodulating that radiation.